|
|
| Strategic Planning Information |
|
|
|
|
Business Plan 101 How to Write a Table of Contents
No matter what business you plan to start in your next entrepreneurial endeavor you need to be thinking about writing a business plan. Even if you are not seeking funding for your new business or already have secured funds from family members, angel investor types, personal savings or partners. A business plan helps you start out on the right foot and makes you think about your future strategies. One important thing you need in a business plan is a table of contents that you can use as a guide, as you go thru the hectic and tedious steps to start your new business. There are a myriad of rules, regulations and inane paper work and you must stay focused at all times. It is recommended that you go and buy yourself a book on "how to write a business plan" and try to find one, which has a sample business plan which is most similar to your business model inside. Below is a sample Table of Contents that you can use to help you, so A.) you do not forget any important items and B.) as a template to help you create your own table of contents. I recommend you print this article and then take the table of contents and modify it to fit your business model. Once you complete this exercise you are well on your way to creating the best possible business plan for your future small business. Now then, below is a table of contents, which we had used in a business for a mobile car wash company. Go ahead and look it over and see if this is something you believe can assist you. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Executive Summary 3 Company Analysis 6 Company Description Company Mission Statement Company Analysis Industry Analysis 10 Trends Position for Growth Marketing Analysis 12 Target Markets Bonzai and Blitz Marketing Sales Advertising Media Management 22 Operations 25 Inventory Equipment Hours Systems, Procedures, Computer, Credit Card Units Legal Strategies 30 Licensing Regulations Insurance Financial Strategies 32 Taxes Capital Requirements Benefits Strategic Planning 35 Long Term Goals Manager Plug-Ins Financial Projections Billing Anticipated Gross Sales from Services Anticipated Business Expenses Profit Per Truck Appendix 38 First Year One Truck ? Anticipated Gross Sales from Services First Year One Truck ? Anticipated Business Expenses Net Profit One Truck Picture and Sketch of Unit and Signage "Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
ERP Role in Selling Your Mid-size Business ? Microsoft Great Plains and CRM Example If you own the mid-size business and actively work in it as executive manager or lead, say marketing, ? you probably know exactly what needs to be done on the daily basis to keep it running. However, in many cases this business critical knowledge exists in your head only. This means that if you would like to sell your business ? it has little value without your participation. So, ahead of the selling time you should "formalize" the business ? to make it work within the systems and rules, independent of people. Let's consider the parts we will need. Why Do a Business Plan? To Grow (Catapult) Your Business That's Why. How to Write a Business Plan in Five Steps People often ask "What makes a good business plan? Or, "How do I make my plan attractive to lenders and investors?". Designing an Efficient Distribution System Let us look at a few of the big distribution networks in the US that we use today. The US Post Office for instance is a huge complex chain of symbiotic relations ships with vendors to deliver by truck, work with FED EX for air, previously that airmail idea started commercial aviation. The reason it grew big and evolved so well is because of the special teams and companies and individuals from the first air mail carriers to the Wells Fargo Coaches. A much better system than Paul Revere; although he was very simple with only two possible signals 1 or 2 "if's" scenarios. Let's face it 1's and Zero's or 1 or 2 ifs are different than today. Communication Strategy During A Time Of Strategic Planning "Rubbish!" shouted the large, aggressive man in the red-striped shirt (we had to pay attention to him because he owned the company). SWOT Analysis Is No Magic 8 Ball Q: A key investor in my business has suggested that I hire a consultant to do a SWOT Analysis to help plan for the future. I try not to argue with my investors, but I'm not so sure I need to have this done. What do you think? -- Laurie B. Action Planning ACTION PLANNING: Action Planning is a process to develop strategies for changes in the organization based on an analysis of the problems which precipitate the need for change. It is a collaborative method of planning which involves the people working in the organization and permits the people who will be influenced by the decisions and change to have influence on the product or outcome. Action Planning assumes that people will support that which they help to plan and create. Unless those involved are committed to that which they are changing, the plan does not have much hope for success. Recent studies indicate that employees who are a part of the planning and problem solving/decision making process will take on additional organizational responsibilities to implement the plans. 5 Strategies That Will Boost Your Business Productivity Today! - Part 2 Growing your own small business can be one of the most exciting journeys you could ever embark upon! Three Easy Ways To Know Thy Competitor "Did you hear what your competitor is doing?" This question has caused many business people to freeze in their tracks. How about you? Does your sales team know what your competitors are doing? And if a prospect was to ask them, "give me 10 unique reasons why I should buy from you and your company," could they answer this question without a pause? "Knowing thy competitor" is critical, and this article will outline three easy ways to know more about them, than they know about you! Let's get started! The Importance of Value Mix ( * - the word 'product' can be substituted to mean 'service' too; and vice versa ) Ten Steps To A Great Strategic Plan Ask a small business owner about their strategic plan and they'll either laugh or get that stricken look in their eyes. Yet it's well documented that businesses with a strategic plan are more successful. No matter what size business, from solo practitioner to hundreds of employees, a thoughtful strategic plan will help you achieve your dreams. How To Prepare A Business Plan That Guarantees Big Profits It is always said "If you Fail to Plan, you Plan to Fail" Dotcom Business Plans Archive Project One of the most important initiatives in the domain of business documentation is that of professor David Kirsch from the University of Maryland, who thought of a dotcom Business Plan Archive - , a project that consists of collecting business plans for posterity. The project was started in 2002, through the Web portal businessplanarchive.org. The site was built by Webmergers.com and the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business, in collaboration with the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University.The project received financial support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Pressure Washing Entrepreneurs Can Help With Government NPDES Permits If you own a pressure washing business one of the smartest things you can do is get involved with the local and regional enforcement for storm water environmental laws. The reason being is they do not understand the washing process of the industry and you can assist them with pertinent information. Secondly you learn about opportunities in the market and third, you can prevent really bad legislation which could potentially put you and your business out of work. Water Conservation and Water Issues for Mobile Car Washers and Auto Detailers Obviously, there will never be an actual water shortage since two-thirds of our earth's surface is water. The problem is distribution. One problem is getting water to the desert before it evaporates. And why do people plant lawns in Las Vegas? Another problem is that people and plants and animals need fresh water not salt water. Fresh water comes from rain and salt water comes from our oceans. So how do we separate out the salt from the ocean water? The method called desalinization works best. But this isn't free. It costs an average of $3.33 per unit of water. Almost double what you pay from your tap at home. As Las Vegas, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Riverside, etc. expand, we will get into a supply and demand situation. When the price per unit of water reaches $3.00 plus, we will then be able to afford to build adequate infrastructure to handle our water needs through desalinization. The cost of the new infrastructure can be amortized and paid for by us on a unit of water level. Five Crucial Components of a Business Plan The format of a Business Plan is something that has been developed and refined over the years and is something that should not be changed. Like a good recipe, a business plan needs to include certain ingredients to make it work. Break-Even Analysis A significant advantage of some business ideas is that the venture can break even at what seems to be an easily achievable volume. A technique for quantifying that volume, called break-even analysis, examines the interaction among fixed costs, variable costs, prices, and unit volume to determine that combination of elements in which revenues and total costs are equal. The Chief Cause of Business Failure & Success Business rises and falls on leadership. According to business guru, Brian Tracy, "Leadership is the most important single factor in determining business success or failure in our competitive, turbulent, fast-moving economy." Still not convinced? Based on a study by Jessie Hagen of the US Bank, here are the main reasons why businesses fail: Offense: Beat the Odds When in doubt, cut that out! Yeah, yea, doubting Thomas may have had a point in his day, and life may not be what you want it to be, but if you constantly doubt yourself, how can you accomplish anything? SWOT Analysis If you've ever listened to Warren Buffett talk about investing, you've heard him mention the idea of a company's moat. The moat is a simple way of describing a company's competitive advantage. A strong competitive advantage, or a wide moat, gives a company sustainability, which, as investors, we're highly interested in.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2005 |